Climbing out of the bed I walk over to the dresser Stoney pulled a shirt out of yesterday and grab one to slip on. Not wanting to go out the room with nothing underneath, I grab a pair of his shorts and put them on as well.
I open the door to the room to find two massive men carrying one of the twin’s dressers.
“What’s going on?” I ask, letting everyone know I was there.
“Damnit prospects you had to wake her up didn’t you,” Stoney growls from the other side of the guys.
Glancing around them I find him standing there with both babies in his arms. Talk about a sight to see. Stoney looks damn good holding a baby in his arms let alone two.
“I was already awake when they started making a ruckus. Any way I can get by you two and to my kids really quick?” I ask the two men standing in between me and Stoney.
“Sure thing,” they say at the same time before maneuvering the dresser through the doorway next to the room I’m standing in front of.
Soon as they make it through the doorway I walk directly to Stoney and reach for my babies.
Taking Luca into my arms I lean toward Corinne and press a kiss to her cheek then repeating that with Luca. “I missed you two so so much,” I murmur, glancing between the two of them.
For babies they’re very intuitive and smile in my direction.
“I think they missed you as well,” Stoney chuckles and leans into press a kiss to my lips. “How did you sleep?” he asks.
“Like the dead,” I say smiling. It honestly was the best sleep I’ve ever had.
“Good, I’ve got the twins’ bouncers and shit in the living room why don’t you sit in there with them while I hurry Neo and Cane up,” Stoney suggests.
“Okay, that sounds good to me,” I nod.
“Good, after we get everything unloaded, I’ll show you around the house and we can order food,” he says putting his free arm around me and ushering me to the living room.
Glancing around the room, it looks more like a man cave than anything else. A brown suede sectional sits in front of the largest TV I’ve ever seen. On one side of the room is a shelving unit filled with DVDs and pictures of what looks like Horse growing up and now with his family. Other than those pictures nothing else about this room shows Stoney as a family man. In front of the sectional are all the twins’ toys and bouncers, which seem strange in here.
“If you need anything let me know,” Stoney says.
Kneeling down, Stoney puts Corinne in her bouncer. She must not have appreciated being put down because the moment Stoney stood up Corinne began crying her little eyes out. Stoney kneels back down to her and strokes her cheeks. “You’re fine, little Dove. I’m not going anywhere,” he murmurs softly to my daughter.
My heart clenches in my chest at how sweet he is to my daughter. Leaning forward, he kisses Corinne’s forehead then stands back up. Although she whimpers, she’s not crying. Reaching for Luca in my arms he places him in his own bouncer. “Watch over your sister, Chief,” he says.
“Chief?” I ask. I don’t know where he comes up with these names. I’ll have to remember to ask him.
“Yeah, Doll, Luca’s Chief and Corinne is Dove,” he clarifies as he stands back up and pulls me into his arms. “I’ll get this shit done as quickly as I can. You and these two just chill out. Watch whatever you want.” The tenderness he shows to me and my children confuses the crap out of me.
Worse, I don’t understand why he’s moving us in with him. He says he wants me but that can’t be true. Shaking my head, I sit on the floor and play with my little ones.
“Tell me something about yourself you’ve never told anyone else,” I ask as I sit Indian style on the couch with my Chinese container in hand. It’s been so long since I’ve had Chinese food. Not because I don’t like it but rather the Chinese places down in Greensville use all the same pots and pans for their food that they cook. And being allergic to anything peanut related, I couldn’t take the chance.
“Let’s see, something I’ve never told anyone about myself,” he murmurs. “There’s not much that people don’t know about me, but when I’m able to, I like to go down to the beach and surf.”
“You surf?” I ask in astonishment.
“Yep,” he chuckles. “I have a house down there that I stay at when I’m there. I store my boards there. Easier to just pack a bag and ride down there. It’s a hassle when I’ve got to load everything up.”
“That’s so cool,” I say probably sounding like a high school girl just now.
“I guess,” he shrugs. “Now, tell me something. I saw the albums. How come I didn’t see a camera when we were unpacking your stuff?”
I tense at his question. “Because I don’t have one anymore,” I say honestly. I don’t want to lie to him about anything, but I also don’t want to talk about this.
“Why not?” he asks.
“Can we not talk about this right now?” I plead.
“Doll, tell me why don’t you. Your pictures are fuckin’ amazing.” His words should fill me with pride, but they don’t. I’m embarrassed that he saw images I took and loved.
“Because I lost interest,” I say, turning my head from him and placing my food on the coffee table. Standing up, I walk to the room the twins are sharing to check on them. Seeing their precious faces, I wish I did have a camera to capture the moment. I haven’t even been able to take one photo of them besides what’s on the phone Stoney gave me.
The heat of Stoney at my back sends a shiver down my spine. “Don’t walk away when we're talkin’, baby,” he whispers into my ear as he grabs my hand and pulls me from the twins' room. Directing us back to the living room, he sits down on the couch, bringing me down on top of him. Straddling his waist, I feel his dick stiffening against my core.
“Now, tell me the truth, Doll, why did you stop?” he asks as he gently strokes my sides.
“I stopped taking pictures the day before I left for college,” I whisper. I don’t want to go into this with him.
“That doesn’t tell me why,” Stoney states.
“Can’t you accept the fact I just stopped,” I argue.
“No, I can’t, baby. Those pictures in that one album are fuckin’ awesome. You’re talented and deserve to be doing something you love,” he counters.
“Just leave it, okay.” Tears prick at my eyes. Stop, there’s no reason to cry. It was a long time ago.
“Rachel, I’m goin’ to give you five seconds to answer me. Otherwise, I’m bending you over my knee and spankin' your ass till you tell me,” Stoney mutters.
“One . . . two . . .” He can’t be serious. “Three . . .” Nope, he’s serious alright. The determined look in his eyes says it all. “Four . . . fi—”
“I stopped because of you, because of my mom, and because of the man she was dating,” I scream. Shit, I hope I didn’t wake Luca and Corinne up.
“You need to explain that answer,” he demands, gripping my hips tighter.
I turn my head so Stoney doesn’t see me flinch at the harsh tone in his voice. “The last time I used my camera was at the cookout right before I left for school. I’d taken so many pictures, some I wish I didn’t capture. Most of those I threw out immediately, others I kept. That night I got home, my mom lit into me, calling me a biker whore and a good for nothing bitch. Then she snatched the camera from my hands and tossed me toward Neil, her boyfriend at the time.”